


Chill Factor

by Gen (ryujinjakka)



Category: Katekyou Hitman Reborn!
Genre: Gen, Hurt/Comfort
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-24
Updated: 2019-10-24
Packaged: 2021-01-20 16:23:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 331
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21284654
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ryujinjakka/pseuds/Gen
Summary: Xanxus hates the cold.
Comments: 2
Kudos: 15
Collections: Trick or Treat Exchange 2019





	Chill Factor

**Author's Note:**

  * For [anaraine](https://archiveofourown.org/users/anaraine/gifts).

Xanxus has never liked the cold. He spent too many years in a rattrap apartment that had so many holes it whistled when the wind blew. He never enjoys it when winter rolls around.

He has never told anyone, but he thinks the reason he accessed his flame so young was because he was so damn cold all the time. His flames make it easier to fight, but he never needed them when scrapping in the back streets of Naples. What he needed was a way to stay warm.

It is worse after the ice. Now a cold snap has him gritting his teeth against the ache in his bones. Waking up to snow on the windowsill makes him actively flinch.

Worst of all, his flames no longer give him the comfort he had as a child. They are still strong. He has no problem crushing other skies and various trash under the weight of his flame. The problem is that they no longer warm his blood. He can keep them banked just under his skin and it still feels like he's walked into a freezer. It's a belated blow from his so-called father that hurts every time the weather changes.

His only consolation is that his guardians haven't made a big deal of it when they noticed. This is the kind of thing that sends Lussuria into a flutter of well meaning concern. If it were Bel, he'd be bundled up to the nines no matter how much he yelled. Instead Lussuria has quietly added more insulation to Xanxus' coats and a few suits made of heavier fabric to his closet.

When that's not enough, Squalo stands close enough to Xanxus that his flame radiates outward with enough heat to ward off the chill. It's not the same. His tranquility leaves Xanxus drowsy in a way that his own flames never did, but it is better than showing his weakness to the world.

If nothing else, Xanxus is a survivor.


End file.
